一、阅读理解
The “four treasures of the study” refer to the four important writing tools for ancient Chinese people: the brush, ink, paper and inkstone. They are a key part of traditional Chinese culture.
Brush With a long history, the Chinese brush is mainly made up of two parts—a handle and the hairs, which form a tip. The hairs are traditionally taken from different animals, such as weasels (黄鼠狼), goats or rabbits. The brush can create strokes of different thicknesses and thus different artistic effects. That makes it a core tool for Chinese calligraphy and painting.
Ink Ink has a very important place in Chinese culture. Traditional Chinese ink is made from pine soot (煤烟) mixed with glue, sometimes with spices added. It is usually in the form of inksticks. When people use an inkstick, they grind (磨) it on an inkstone. During the process, some fine inksticks give off a pleasant smell, adding more elegance (雅致) to the act of writing.
Paper The history of Chinese paper is also very long. One of the earliest and most famous examples is “Cai Hou paper”, made by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The texture (质地) and weight of paper decide how it’s used, especially for calligraphy and painting. In other words, the quality of paper has a great influence on the success of artistic creation.
Inkstone The inkstone is used for grinding inksticks into ink. Traditionally made from stones (such as Duan inkstones or She inkstones), inkstones come in different shapes and sizes. They have both practical (实用的) and artistic values. The quality of an inkstone affects how thick and dark the ink can be, so it’s also a key tool for calligraphy and painting.
The four treasures of the study represent the lifestyle and artistic dreams of ancient Chinese people. They not only play an important role in calligraphy and painting, but also carry deep cultural meanings. To this day, they still stand for the historical heritage and aesthetic (美学的) ideas of Chinese culture.
(
) 1. Why is the Chinese brush fit for calligraphy and painting?
A. It has a history in China.
B. It is made of expensive materials.
C. It is not big and very easy to carry.
D. It can create strokes of different thicknesses.
(
) 2. What is traditional Chinese ink made from?
① glue ② animal hairs ③ pine soot ④ spices ⑤ stone
A. ①③④ B. ②③⑤ C. ③④⑤ D. ①②④
(
) 3. What is the use of an inkstone?
A. To add good smells to the ink. B. To grind an inkstick into ink.
C. To help make the paper flat. D. To help with writing like a ruler.
(
) 4. What do the four treasures of the study represent?
A. The daily writing tools of ancient farmers.
B. The scientific achievements of ancient China.
C. The trade products of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
D. The historical heritage and aesthetic ideas of Chinese culture.
